Chernobyl accident: NEA assesses the consequences

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is releasing today a new report presenting an overall assessment, ten years after the Chernobyl accident, of the state of contamination of the territories affected by the radioactive release, the impact on the health of the populations, and the risks still anticipated for man and the environment.

The report Chernobyl – Ten years on: Radiological and Health Impact, which is intended for a broad readership, was prepared by a small group of specialists in radiation protection and public health from OECD countries and international organisations, under the aegis of the NEA.

The forthcoming tenth anniversary of the accident offers an opportunity to take stock of the information accumulated and the scientific studies underway, and to assess the extent to which national authorities and experts have taken advantage of the lessons from the Chernobyl accident.

The report offers data on the dispersion and deposition of radionuclides within and outside the former Soviet Union, and provides estimates of the radiation doses received by the "liquidators" involved in the emergency and clean-up actions on the site, the populations around the damaged plant which were evacuated, people still in contaminated areas, and populations outside the former Soviet Union. There is also an evaluation of the health, agricultural and environmental impacts of the accident and of potential risks associated with the "sarcophagus" and the other sources of contamination existing on the site. Finally, the report discusses the lessons learnt by OECD countries and relevant international Organisations in terms of radiation protection infrastructures and emergency preparedness.